Key deliverables:

1.   10 seed villages of medicinal and aromatic rice varieties
2.   Pure line selection of 5 specialty rice varieties (Navara, Chennellu,Gandhakasala, Jeerakasala &  Mullanchanna) for developing nodal seed plot at the Centre & 10 community seed plots.
3.   On farm Demo plots for conservation for 5 varieties in10 villages.
4.   Training 400 farmers (approx 100 farmers/year).
5.   Training and communication materials on various aspects of the 5 varieties;
6.   Cultivate 5 traditional Rice varieties in more area
7.   Increased number of consumers of 5 rice varieties

Highlights from Core area 3:

Medicinal & Aromatic Rice Initiative

This initiative is majorly to conserve and value add the indigenous rice germplasm.

• A Baseline survey on cultivation of rice in Wayanad   with special focus on specialty rice varieties, details  of farmers cultivating them and area under each of the varieties.
• Seed purification (by pure line panicle selection) of  selected 10 varieties (Adukkan, Thondi, Gandhakasala,  Jeerakasala, Choma la, Veliyan, Chennellu, Kaima,  Chenthadi and Kalladiaryan). 5934 Kg of purified seeds  given to the Seed Villages for multiplication.
• Ten seed villages meant for conserving traditional rice   varieties with a network of 105 HHs (73 adivasi HHs,  one adivasi women group).
• Facilitation of informal seed exchange between   farmers (10 rice varieties, 3070 kg seeds reached to   121 Farmers, cultivated in a total area of 102 Acres.
• Promising results for System of Rice Intensification   (SRI) in indigenous varieties.
• Facilitation of linkages between farmers and seed    villages for marketing of seeds (4000 kg).
• Facilitation for the primary processing and marketing   of 2884 Kg paddy from seed villages.
• A study to assess the effective pricing and value chain  for specialty rice varieties & red rice varieties.
• Package of practices for traditional rice varieties  integrating scientific and traditional Knowledge   (on-farm).
• Facilitation of the Plant Genome Savior Community   Award (of rupees 10 Lakhs) by the Protection of Plant  Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (Ministry of    Agriculture, Govt of India) to Kurichya and Kuruma   communities of Wayanad for their efforts in the   conservation of traditional rice cultivars.
• Facilitation of Farmer Variety registrations (16 rice   varieties ) by the Protection of Plant Varieties and  Farmers’ Rights Authority

Potential Enterprising Activity Identified and Promoted

• Branding and marketing of specialty rice varieties which as recently linked to the Farmer Producer Organization programme of NABARD